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Mary (Farmer) Howe (abt. 1630 - 1695)

Mary Howe formerly Farmer
Born about in Englandmap [uncertain]
Ancestors ancestors
Daughter of [uncertain] and [uncertain]
Sister of and
Wife of — married 1653 (to 1676) in Concord, Massachusetts Bay Colonymap [uncertain]
Wife of — married 10 Apr 1677 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colonymap
Descendants descendants
Mother of , , , , and
Died at about age 65 in Concord, Middlesex, Province of Massachusetts Baymap
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Profile last modified | Created 28 Jun 2013
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Multiple people may be conflated in this profile, i.e. information about different people may be combined and confused.

Contents

Biography

Mary (Unknown) was probably born about 1630, based on her implied marriage year of 1653. Her surname and parents are not known. Her first Colonial record is the birth of a son in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Mary was either the undocumented daughter of an early Concord family, or more likely, she arrived as a servant to a family and became eligible to marry when she became of age. In either case, she was likely born in England.

Mary married William How in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony in about 1653, based on the birth of their first known child on 14 October 1654.[1][2] They had children, all born in Concord:[3]

  1. Samuel (1654), married Mary Woolley, then Mary Nutting
  2. Daniel (1657-1657)
  3. Sarah (1658-1659/60)
  4. Hannah (1660-1683)
  5. William (1663-1663)
  6. Mary (1665-1666)

The Concord vital records reflect an unusually severe mortality for Mary's children. Only her son Samuel lived to marry and produce children.

William How died before 4 April 1676, when his widow Mary was granted administration of his estate. William died intestate. He was a farmer, but his small inventory, taken 26 April 1676, totalled just over 35 pounds and it included very little land.[4]

Mary married, second, Christopher Woolley, as his second wife, on 10 April 1677, in Concord.[5] Christopher was the father of Mary's son Samuel's first wife Mary Woolley. Mary (Unknown) (How) Woolley died on 26 December 1695.[3] Christopher Woolley died on 28 January 1700/1.[3]

Research Notes

Surname: Although some sources cite Mary's last name as "Farmer", the claim is dubious. There are many records that show William's wife's name is Mary, but none that establish her last name as Farmer. Anderson's Great Migrations series do not include any Farmers. There are Farmers in Concord and nearby towns, but none suggest themselves as a family of Mary. Mary has been disconnected from "Parents" Farmer-5288 and Purefoy-82. The Purefoy line connects to English landed gentry and may be the reason for hoping that Mary was their daughter.

For reference, Farmer-5288 and Purefoy-82 did have a daughter Mary born in 1633. There are no known records that connect her to the Mary of this profile: Mary Farmer, daughter of John Farmer, was born in Compton Bassett, Wiltshire, England on 20 Feb 1633/4.[6]

Sources

  1. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. Torrey, v.2 p.800 (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. NEHGS member site
    • Text: "HOW, William & Mary ____; by 1654, by 1657; Concord {Howe 2:402-3}"
  2. ↑ Anderson. Great Migration, volume III, G–H. (2003): pages 428-431.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850 Concord, v.1 pp.7-12, pp.26, 54, 57, 58) (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2016). NEHGS member site
  4. ↑ Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives. Digitized images provided by FamilySearch.org) NEHGS member site
  5. ↑ New England Marriages to 1700. Torrey, v.3 p.1721 (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015. NEHGS member site
    • Text: "WOOLLIE, Christopher (-1701) & 2/wf Mary (____) HOW (-1695), w William; 10 Apr 1677; Concord {Reg. 75:29; Howe 2:403}"
  6. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NYCH-63R : 11 February 2018, Mary Farmer, 20 Feb 1633); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 1,279,351. NOTE: There are no reliable sources in this profile connecting Mary Farmer to the Mary who married How and Woolery

Acknowledgments





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Comments: 10

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Hill-11959 S (Hill) Willson
Profile managers: Would you please change her last name at birth to Unknown and disconnect her parents? There are no sources on any of the profiles that show that the Mary who was christened in 1633 is the immigrant Mary who married How and Wooley. Or, if you have sources, would you please add them to the profile? Thank you.
posted by S (Hill) Willson
Hill-11959 S (Hill) Willson
What source shows that Mary Farmer is the woman who married How/e and Woolley? Is there any reliable source that links her as a daughter to John and as a wife to either spouse? If not, her last name at birth should likely be Unknown
posted by S (Hill) Willson
Gregg Purinton
I agree. Her "parents" are completely unsourced, and no record is known for her surname. It seems most prudent to disconnect the "parents", set her surname to Unknown, and have the birth location as England (uncertain).

Various Web sites likely have the parents of this Mary as John and Mary (Purefoy) Farmer because of a supposed royal connection through the Purefoy side.

posted by Gregg Purinton
Johnson-43462 Leigh Anne (Johnson) Dear
BTW: The source (1) cited in your Sources section is for a different Mary How. That Mary died as a young girl in Concord. Her birth is noted on the same page as the death recorded a few years later.
posted by Leigh Anne (Johnson) Dear
Carruth-363 Linda (Carruth) Peterson
I moved around the sources, based on information that I could see.

The birth is for a Mary Farmer, daughter of John Farm, born in England, not Mass, in 1633. None of the birth years mentioned in this profile matches that date.

The death is for the daughter Mary How with parents of Mary and Willim How in Oct 1666 in Concord, Mass,

Searching on family search, I see no other reference to a Mary How, born in Massachusetts. I see plenty of Mary How, born in England, that are possibilities.

Birth sources for the children that are attached have William How and Sara How

posted by Linda (Carruth) Peterson
Martin-48093 Timothy Martin
Has anyone actually clicked on my sources? Shows birth and death with names??? Read them for cryin out loud!!!
posted by Timothy Martin
Smith-32867 Jillaine Smith
There is no such 1695 death in the Concord VR
posted by Jillaine Smith
B-404 Anne B
I suspect this woman is not married to either William How. (How-36 or Howe-4208) There wasn't a John Farmer in Massachusetts in 1635 according to Savage and Anderson. And besides you have a 1633 bpt in England for Mary. so probably b. in England not Massachusetts. If she's not the wife of How then she didn't die in Concord in 1695. I suggest a disconnect from both williams
posted by Anne B
Martin-48093 Timothy Martin
Farmer-5287 and Farmer-1141 appear to represent the same person because: Hello, it appears that both Farmer-5287 and Farmer-1141 are the same people. Source Information seems to reflect that. Although, I don't have exact date of death and place.

Tim Martin

posted by Timothy Martin
David Cooper (-2021)
With no marriage shown, how was it established that her maiden name was Farmer? If she is the mother of Elizabeth baptised 1651 she must be the same person as Mary Unknown who it is stated married William in 1650, so the two profiles need merging.
posted by David Cooper (-2021)

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